'First light' experiments at NSLS-II study radiation's effect on reactor pressure vessels

Among the first experiments at the National Synchrotron Light Source II—NSLS-II, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility located at DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory—were studies of irradiated steels similar to those used in nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). The purpose of these experiments was to determine the structural properties of nanoscale features that lead to embrittlement in RPVs, and the findings will help regulatory agencies determine safe operating lifetimes for the nation's existing fleet of nuclear reactors. 

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